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North American Travel Card for teenager?

We may (still kind of up in the air) be going to Canada by train in July. My father and I have passports, but my son does not. He's about to turn 15. I'm thinking to save a little money and just get him a travelcard, since I'm thinking it's much more likely that he'll be going to Canada and/or on a cruise than somewhere that requires an actual passport and we're not completely sure he's going anywhere! The only thing that is giving me hesitation is the inability to fly into Mexico or the Caribbean with it, although I can't imagine why he'd need too (Spring break trips would occur only over my dead body, and he's mildly disabled and is still very childlike, so it's very hard to imagine him traveling by himself, although he should be able to eventually). Are there any other pitfalls I'm not aware of?

Also, does anyone know why you have the option to get a book AND a card at the same time? Why would you need the card if you have the book?

You get both a passport and a travel card together so you have a back-up document in case you lose the passport. If you travel frequently overseas it's a lot easier to have a lost or stolen passport replaced if you have a legally valid document to prove both identity an d citizenship. But in your sons case, if you don't plan on allowing your son to travel independently, then there's no need to get both. But a passport is always better than a travel card, though it's your choice.

I'd just say that you are cutting things awfully close, however. Your probably going to pay expediting fees to get either document by July.

That does make sense. We were figuring that having the travel card would make it easier to get him a passport if he needed one down the road. I'm hoping we'll get away with not expediting, but we'll see what the passport people say. This really just came up as an option, since my dad just decided that he wanted to see Montreal again and, since he is no longer comfortable traveling independently, take at least me with him. We'd both prefer if my son could go as well, since he loves to travel, and enjoys the kind of history-focused trips my dad plans.